While, according to numerous testimonies relayed previously, the General Directorate of Health (DGS) had not correctly anticipated the extension of the experimentation with medical cannabis, it is now trying to save the day.
The DGS thus published on Wednesday April 5 a new call for tenders to find a solution to the absence of oil with a high dose of CBD today delivered to the majority of patients in the experiment. For the context, the extension of the experiment was necessary because the DGS did not make progress on the 2 main subjects which were to be treated during the first 2 years, namely:
- the status of these products (ad hocin this case to be integrated into the public health code, or magistral preparation)
- reimbursement or not by health insurance
On the patients’ side, the experiment was widely praised during an evaluation report carried out by various external agencies.
A very wide call for tenders
Finished the price of 14€ per product proposed on the first call for tenders. The second leaves a range of 10,000 to 1 million euros for the supply of 56,250,000 milligrams of cannabidiol, the equivalent of 22,000 vials of 50mL dosed at 50mg/mL, a maximum quantity that the DGS deems necessary for the one-year extension of the experiment. According to our calculations, this would cover the needs of almost 1000 people for 2 bottles per month.
No more precise dosages of cannabinoids. The packaging must respect a maximum THC:CBD ratio of 1:50, without obligation of absence of THC while the missing oil did not contain any. The product may even exceed 0.3% THC, which will then place it on the list of narcotics, a category of medical products that require more authorizations for imports and distribution – but which is already the case for most of the experimental products.
Also modified the appreciation ratios of the different criteria to win the market. In the first call for tenders, the quality of the product weighed for 30% of the final score against 15% in the new call for tenders, and the capacity to deliver was scored at 12% in the first call for tenders against 30% in the second.
The capsules were no longer part of the first call for tenders for the extension.
The deadline for responding to the call for tenders, available online, is May 4.
